Scoring the 'surge' and what lies beyond

On December 31, Moqtada al-Sadr’s cease-fire ends. So too does the UN mandate authorizing the presence of foreign military forces in Iraq Under the Bush “plan,” U.S. troops will still be in Iraq – and the costs in lives and treasure may quickly escalate.

Imagine what $845 billion could have done to improve the quality of life for everyone around the globe—the amount already spent on these wars, let alone the projected “final” cost of at least $2 trillion.